Sunnyvale Councilman David Whittum threw his city for a loop in April when he abruptly resigned. Because of a quirk in the city charter, his awkward timing forced the city to plan a special election this summer to fill his seat, No. 4 — at a cost of more than $767,000 — even though the opening will be on the ballot again in November, when Whittum would have been termed out.

So yes, Sunnyvale voters, that absentee ballot that landed in your mailboxes this week is the real deal. You need to vote by Aug. 16. Fortunately, there are good choices. One stands out: Larry Klein.

Klein had planned to run for Whittum’s seat and has prepared well for the job.

During eight years on the planning commission, he did his homework for meetings, asked perceptive questions and developed a reputation for hard work and independent thought. People who have worked with him on projects and in community groups find him knowledgeable and reasonable.

These traits are needed on the Sunnyvale council, which has had some rocky years of late. And Whittum at times was part of the problem.

Whittum was litigious and sometimes abetted his colleague Pat Meyering, whose wing-nut approach to government sometimes paralyzed the council and drove away good city staff members.

But Whittum also won the confidence and loyalty of neighborhood leaders, who felt he had their backs. It’s telling that Klein has Whittum’s support but also that of many good-government icons, including former Sunnyvale mayor and Santa Clara County Supervisor Dianne McKenna.

The other qualified candidate on the ballot is John Cordes, a cycling activist and all-around environmental advocate with a résumé of civic experience. He would more regularly take a citywide approach to issues of growth and traffic, which can be a good thing. And he’s right that Sunnyvale has a ways to go in becoming pedestrian and bicycle friendly.

But Klein also grasps the need for a more sustainable and environmentally attuned city, and his temperament seems best suited to building consensus around those goals.

Stephen D. Williams, the third candidate on the ballot, is a relative newcomer to the city. He’s short on civic experience and would benefit from service on a city board or commission to prepare for a council run.

All the candidates have tech backgrounds; Klein currently is engineering program manager at Qnovo, a battery charging startup.

All seem to be civil and rational, which does not go without saying in Sunnyvale. But Klein is most likely to help the city back to its good-government roots. We recommend him.